And that is NOT something I believe/espouse nor is it a conclusion from sola Scriptura. Nobody here has even alluded to that. What we should understand is any teachings of men cannot contradict what God has spoken through His word.
And that they take for granted certain elements of the faith which were hammered out in post-Biblical times, *cough* Arianism *cough* *cough* Albigensians *cough* *cough* Donatism *cough* to name a few, while still loudly Demanding sola scriptura (hint, in a lot of heresies, the heretics cited Scripture, but it was decided they were misusing it; the reason that is important is there are folks like the extreme Calvinists (predestination) who also quote Scripture, and yet both the Catholics and most other Protestants insist they're wrong.
And do you know how it was/is determined people misused Scripture? By knowing what God has revealed to us IN Scripture. For example, Athanasius of Alexandria disputed the heresy of Arianism. He defended the Biblical teaching about the Deity of Jesus Christ by having the better argument from Scripture - even when the hierarchy of the church at that time exiled him for doing so. False teachers have ALWAYS tried to pervert the truth - it's nothing new.
What we shouldn't get caught up on is demanding others MUST always think the same way about everything - without taking into account areas that are called "disputable matters". We have liberty of conscience - between me and God - on those things that are not spelled out specifically in Scripture. You want to fast on Fridays? Be my guest, just don't mandate to me that I must also or else I'm not a good Christian.
In Essentials Unity, In Non-Essentials Liberty, In All Things Charity (often attributed to great theologians such as Augustine, it comes from an otherwise undistinguished German Lutheran theologian of the early seventeenth century, Rupertus Meldenius).
P.S. Hope your cough gets better. :o)
We can almost agree.
And that is NOT something I believe/espouse nor is it a conclusion from sola Scriptura. Nobody here has even alluded to that.
I have a work deadline, so I can't spend the time to look it up; but people on the sola side, have said stuff far worse about writings of Saints, about certain visions, about prayers.
And do you know how it was/is determined people misused Scripture? (etc.)
But that's just my point, too. Merely citing Scripture, doesn't indicate that the doctrine one is inferring from it is correct!
What we shouldn't get caught up on is demanding others MUST always think the same way about everything - without taking into account areas that are called "disputable matters".
Yeah, to quote Scripture on this, Romans 14. ;-)
FReepmail, briefly.